SG presidential candidate Seth Rosenstein said he will not take his name off the ballot in response to this newspaper’s editorial board for all candidates to run as write-in candidates.

The Eagle called for all candidates to take this action in response to a Board of Elections ruling that took candidate Nirvana Habash off the ballot. The editorial said this would help legitimize the election and prevent controversy from ruining the SG’s credibility.

Rosenstein, a senator for the class of 2012, said the recent controversy surrounding this election has made him “sick.” While he disagreed with the BOE’s initial ruling to prevent Habash from campaigning, the most recent decision to allow her to have a write-in campaign is fair.

“It would be re-leveling the playing field after one of the candidate’s campaigns violated the rules,” he said. “The regulations are outdated and cause extreme problems, but in this case, the rules were violated and the punishment was made and the punishment was fair.”

Rosenstein said this election has made students disregard the SG even more than before.

“This election has gone from something that is semi-legitimate into an abysmal mess that tears down any legitimacy that we have right now,” he said. “The fact of the matter is that with everything going on, there is nobody, other than myself, standing up.”

As a solution, Rosenstein said the SG could push back the election date and hold one general election for both the Senate and the executives in an attempt to start fresh and bring news ideas.

Nirvana Habash and “Nirvana for SG,” her campaign organization, filed misconduct charges against Erika Zois, chairwoman of the Judicial Board and acting-chairwoman of the Board of Elections.

In a letter dated March 18, “Nirvana for SG” sent a letter Student Activities Director Karen Gerlach outlining misconduct by Zois as well as Judicial Board members Ida Rosenthal and Ray Hear.

Zois served on the Board of Elections and voted in the decision to disqualify Habash from the election. Habash then appealed the BOE’s decision to the Judicial Board. Since Zois serves on both the BOE and the Judicial Board, she said she would remain silent throughout the appeals hearing.

“Chairwoman Zois swore to maintain an unbiased, objective opinion throughout the appeals process,” the letter to Gerlach said. “She has flagrantly, and unethically violated her obligation to remain neutral.

At one point Zois discussed Habash’s appeal with Anthony Dunham, former speaker of the Undergraduate Senate and a candidate for president. According to Jose Morales — who was in the room — Dunham and Zois talked about Habash’s challenge to the BOE’s ruling. Morales is serving as the president of the class of 2013 and has personally endorsed Habash. This information was verified by a student with knowledge of the situation.

“It’s obviously a violation,” Morales said. “This election is now a mockery.”

Dunham could not be reached for comment.

Habash is also filing Student Conduct Code violations against Zois, claiming that her actions constitute intimidation and harassment. Under Section V, Subsection G of the Student Conduct Code harassment constitutes “an intimidating, hostile, coercive act which is intentional or persistent.”

Gerlach has been meeting with both Habash and Zois throughout the week in an attempt to mediate the dispute.

“If need be, we have the ability to take administrative action,” she said. “But our preference is to let students and Student Government work out their issues together.”

As controversy had continued, there has been talk of the Undergraduate Senate possibly invalidating the election. The Senate must certify election results and if it deems Habash treated unfairly. A new election would then need to take place, though it is unclear if there would be more time for campaigning.

UPDATE: Zois has stepped down as chair of the BOE. Bikram Kohli will now fill that position.

This story was updated March 19 at 8:47 p.m.

Student Government President Andy MacCracken endorsed presidential candidate Nate Bronstein in a YouTube video posted early Friday morning to Bronstein’s Facebook page.

In the video, MacCracken is playing a ukulele and singing to the tune of Jason Mraz’s song “I’m yours.” A vintage American flag serves as MacCracken’s backdrop.

“He’d do such a great job,” MacCracken sings. “No I won’t hesitate to vote for Nate… I know he’ll do a much better job than me.”

Bronstein is one of four candidates running for the SG presidency.

Seth Rosenstein, Anthony Dunham and Nirvana Habash are also running for the position. Habash is running as a write-in candidate because of
campaign rules violations.

It is unknown exactly how many other sitting presidents have endorsed candidates via song.

The Judicial Board will meet tonight at 11:15 p.m. to make a final ruling on Student Government presidential candidate Nirvana Habash’s disqualification from the ballot.

Habash was disqualified Wednesday morning after the Board of Elections ruled that she had violated election rules.

The BOE, which voted 3-1 with one abstention to disqualify Habash, received an official complaint Tuesday saying that an e-mail had been sent out over the School of Public Affair’s Leadership Program’s listserv in support of Habash’s campaign.

This e-mail violated Article VII IV Section 10 which says that candidates may not send out campaign related information on non-campaign related mediums. Since the SPA Leadership Program listserv is an academic, university-run program, this was a “clear violation” of the rules, according to Erika Zois, acting Chairwoman of the Board of Elections.

The e-mail was sent by Meg Miraglia, an Undergraduate Senator for the class of 2011 and Emily Beyer, both friends of Habash and members of the Leadership Program.

“We’re so excited to be working with Nirvana Habash as she runs for SG President for the upcoming year,” part of the e-mail read. “We, and many others, really feel as though she is the best candidate for the job.”

Habash said she is confident in her appeal and believes the ruling will be overturned.

This story will be updated after the committee meets tonight.

The Student Government on Thursday announced the candidates running in this month’s elections. The election will be held on March 24 and March 25 March 23 and 24. Campaigning begins March 15.

Executive Positions

President

Anthony Dunham
Seth Rosenstein
Nirvana Habash
Nate Bronstein

Vice President

Amy Chin
Maia Tagami
Jenny Kim
Jeremiah Headon

Secretary

Samuel Hagedorn
Kent Hiebel
Jake Paul
Ashley Kongs

Comptroller

Ed Levandoski

School/Class Councils
Class of 2011
President

Amanda Krause

Class of 2012
President

Lauren Marolda

Class of 2013
Vice President

Deniz Sonmez-Alpan

Treasurer

Jeff Eyler
Brandon Besash

College of Arts and Sciences
President

Chelsea Babcock

School of International Service
President

Jeremy Cohen

Vice President

Zoe Bollinger

School of Public Affairs
President

Todd Carney

Vice President

Kevin Ralph

Kogod School of Business
President

Sam Gilbert
Benjamin Landay
Christian Kingston

A van collided with a Jeep Cherokee on Nebraska Avenue near Ward Circle Wednesday night, potentially injuring both drivers.

Jenny Bruhn, a Swedish tourist who witnessed the accident said she saw the van veer across the center yellow line before colliding with the other car.

“I saw that he was driving a bit wobbly and so I looked and he went over the yellow line and he hit the car by the side,” Bruhn said.

“I don’t know if he turned up, but he went up onto the sidewalk and into the tree,” she added.

Both vehicles were clearly damaged, but D.C. Fire Department Battalion Chief Larry Jackson confirmed there were only two possible injuries.

“Two vehicles involved. Possible two injuries and they’re being evaluated — transported for evaluation,” Jackson said.

No AU students were involved.

Student Government President Andy MacCracken confirmed Tuesday that he will not be seeking re-election next year.

MacCracken, a junior, said a desire to refocus on academics before further schooling influenced his decision.

“It’s been an incredible experience this year, and I’m proud of the things we’ve been able to accomplish,” he said in an e-mail. “I hope to offer my knowledge and abilities to next year’s team but will stay only as involved as the next administration wishes.”

He declined to comment on any potential endorsements for presidential candidates until later in the election season.

Undergraduate Senators Seth Rosenstein and former Speaker of the Undergraduate Senate Anthony Dunham have both announced their intentions to run for the presidency.

MacCracken’s decision to forgo an attempt for a second year as president was first reported by Mike Mayer on his blog “Inside the Undergraduate Senate.”

A pipe burst on the second sixth floor of McDowell Hall Sunday, causing certain rooms, including those ending in -21, to flood.

The incident happened shortly after 2 p.m., Desk Receptionist Mia Raths said. All floors in the building were affected.

By 3:20 p.m., the leak was cleaned up.

Check back soon for updates.

—PHILLIP OCHS

The sprinklers on the Anderson 5 North bridge hallway were activated without an apparent cause last night, flooding much of the floor and forcing some residents to find alternate sleeping spaces.

The sprinklers went off around 12:10 a.m. Tuesday, triggering the fire alarms in Anderson and Letts Halls. Residents of both residence halls evacuated when the fire alarm went off, and were allowed to return around 12:30 a.m.

When the residents of the Anderson 5 North bridge returned to their floor, the bridge doors were closed and two representatives from Housing and Dining Programs told residents to go to the Anderson 5 North lounge for the time being.

An Anderson Hall resident assistant, who declined to give her name, told the residents that she and her fellow RAs had gone through the rooms with Metropolitan Police Department officers, who had just arrived on the scene, to unplug all electronic devices. They had also moved large objects like guitars off of the residents’ floors.

Residents of the Anderson 5 North bridge were told to make other sleeping arrangements for the night—they could either sleep in a friend’s room or take one of the beds being temporarily provided by the university.

The female RA said Housing and Dining is treating this unexpected sprinkler activation as a “freak accident.” The RA also said that, according to the housing license agreement, Housing and Dining is not responsible for any damages to students’ valuables that were in their rooms at the time of the incident. Students may be liable for floor damage fees, unless they have renters insurance through a homeowner policy.

A Public Safety official then arrived at the Anderson 5 North lounge and said the residents should not hesitate to contact Public Safety if they “saw or heard anything before or immediately after the pipe burst.”

Students and RAs described a sulfur-like smell emanating from the bridge.

Calls to Housing and Dining have not yet been returned.

Check back for more information as this story develops.

—JULIA RYAN and STEFANIE DAZIO

The Army Corps of Engineers announced on Tuesday, Jan. 16 that perchlorate levels in the groundwater in and around AU are decreasing, spurning criticism that sufficient information did not exist to come to such conclusions.

Spring Valley residents at the Restoration Advisory Board meeting where the announcement was made were skeptical because the Corps based its findings on readings made more than two years apart and in different seasons.

Jeff Henley, an AU alumnus and former Student Government vice president who was at the meeting, said it was disingenuous of the Corps to have presented the information the way they did.

“It’s not dishonest, and it’s not inaccurate, but you’re not presenting all the facts,” he said. “You’re taking a very narrow approach to what you’re showing people. That’s not giving anyone a complete picture, and it’s not indicative of what’s actually going on.”

A number of groundwater monitoring wells exist near Kreeger, the Child Development Center, and 4825 Glenbrook Rd.

Perchlorate is a naturally occurring and man-made anion which can cause eye and skin irritation, coughing, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, even if exposure is only short-term, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

You can reach this staff writer at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

AU’s Office of Information Technology plans to replace the current my.american.edu portal this summer, the department wrote in their spring 2010 newsletter.

The new portal will be based on Microsoft SharePoint, OIT said.

Initial development will focus mostly on students, according to the newsletter.

“Much of the initial focus is on our student-centered transactions,” the newsletter said. “After the initial launch, the Office of Information Technology will continue working with our campus communities over the next 18 months to roll out more robust portal presence catered towards key constituencies like our staff and faculty.”

The my.american.edu portal dates to the fall 2001 semester, when it was introduced to replace an older portal known as EagleEye, The Eagle previously reported.

Almost a week after the canopy collapse between Mary Graydon Center, Battelle-Tompkins and Butler Pavillion, the cleanup is scheduled to begin in the next day or two, University Architect Jerry Gager said in an e-mail Monday.

“Some pieces will be saved for further analysis,” Gager wrote.

Both the builder of the structure and the structural engineers inspected the wreckage, he said. No report has been released yet.

AU will open for the first time in nearly a week Friday, after the university was closed for two major snow storms.

Shuttle service will resume at 7:30 a.m. on “regular routes” according to an AU alert.

George Washington and Georgetown Universities have also announced they’ll be open. The University of the District of Columbia will remain closed.

Metrorail plans to open nearly all of its network tomorrow, with only a handful of above-ground stations still shuttered.

JANE MALLEN / EAGLE FILE PHOTO

In an e-mail to the campus community Thursday, AU President Neil Kerwin thanked everyone for their patience this past week.

“It is gratifying and comforting to know that in times like these, our students, faculty, and staff can count on each other to get through this time and emerge ever stronger,” Kerwin wrote. “Our campus community has weathered this storm by remaining positive, supportive, and purposeful.”

The Office of Information Technology reported an increase in the use of technology, Kerwin wrote. He also said no decision has been made yet about Friday’s operating status.

He closed by reminding everybody that above all, safety comes first.

Shuttle service resumes today at 1 p.m., AU just announced.

Service will once again operate between the main and Tenley Campuses, and will operate in 20 minute intervals.

A brief walk between the Tenley Campus and the Tenleytown-AU Metro station will be required for those using Metrorail, which today is limited to below-ground service as of 4:30 p.m. is operating between Medical Center and Glenmont stations.

Shuttle service ends tonight at 8 p.m., the university said.